“That’s okay,” I said with a soft chuckle. “We still have about fifteen minutes ‘til we have to leave.”
“Shit,” she repeated. She shot out of bed, then almost lost her balance. I caught her around the waist before she crashed into the dresser.
“You good?” I asked, feeling deeply satisfied that she was wearing one of my old t-shirts.
“Yeah, yeah, fine.” She slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Gonna be sick?” I asked worriedly.
Nodding furiously, she stepped around the suitcase overflowing with clothes and bolted for the hallway.
Staring at her suitcase on the ground, uneasiness filled my chest.
We weren’t supposed to be like this. Ali wasn’t supposed to be living out of a suitcase. I wasn’t supposed to be waking up alone in a city apartment. We were supposed to have one of those log cabins dotting the lake where we used to go pond skating. We weresupposed to be teaching our kids to skate at Centre Ice and checking in on my dad and Hank at Herb’s.
I rubbed my forehead. But that’s whatIwanted. Not her. I wasn't even sure what she wanted. And maybe that was the whole problem: I had no clue because I never even asked her.
I swallowed hard, tasting my own regret.
When she came back in the room, her shirt rode up a bit, revealing a little bit of ink on her inner left thigh.
“Woah, wait.” I blinked hard, trying to see if my eyes were deceiving me.
“Yeah?” she drawled, frowning at me in question.
“Ali, did you…” I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. I leaned forward and grasped her thigh to take a closer look. I smoothed my thumb over the tiny heart, making her shiver. It looked exactly like the one I’d drawn on the little note I left her on the cruise ship. My eyes flashed to her face.
“Oh…that.” She blushed deeply. “You got a reminder of our week together. I wanted one too.” She shrugged like it was no big deal. “Didn’t think I’d get a permanent one.” She snorted, pointing at her stomach.
Feeling like my heart was about to explode out of my chest, I immediately stood and pulled her into a kiss, picking her feet off the floor in the process.
She giggled in surprise and kissed me back. “We’re gonna be late.” She patted my cheek, her face still a little flush with shyness.
“Don’t care,” I murmured against her lips.
She gasped and held my cheeks. “Is this JP I’m talking to? The guy who’s allergic to being late?” she teased.
I dropped my head back, groaning with annoyance as I reluctantly let her slide down my body.
“Well, I’m glad you like it,” she said, giving me a flirty grin as she quickly pulled on an oversized fall-colored flannel.
“Like it? No.” I scoffed, making her eye me. “I fuckin’ love it,” I breathed out, hating that she was now covering it with her leggings.
Her lips twisted into a little smile as she smoothed a headband into her short hair.
_________
Ali chatted pleasantly with a young nurse while she completed a series of tests, but I couldn't focus on the conversation because my mind was twisting into a pretzel. After reading a brochure in the waiting room, I was overwhelmed with everything we needed to prepare for the baby. We needed to start a nursery, like, yesterday.
After the nurse left the room, Ali sat on the exam table looking smaller than usual. Her body was slightly trembling as she hugged herself to rub her arms.
“Cold or nervous?”
She gave me a tight grimace. “Both.”
“C’mere.” I pulled her into my lap and her head rested between my collar and jaw. “I missed you last night.”
“Me too,” she said with a shaky sigh.
